Another retailer is clearing out of West Salem Plaza in Salem. Bacova Factory Outlet is closing its doors at the end of March, and it’s holding a 50 percent off clearance sale to get rid of its rugs, mats, bathroom accessories and other household items.
Bacova Guild, based in Low Moor, Va., produces rugs, printed floor mats and bathroom accessories, and mainly these items are sold on wholesale to retailers. The Salem store, which has been open for at least 10 years, sells Bacova’s discontinued, damaged or market sample items.
Store manager, Allison Morrison, said it was a company decision to close the store, and she does not know if it will relocate elsewhere. But she said the company has not indicated that Bacova will open another Roanoke Valley location.
The Salem store is its only location in the Roanoke Valley.
The store’s move calls into question the future of West Salem Plaza, a 112,000-square foot retail center at the corner of West Main and Fourth streets. Its owner, Dot-Com Properties, halted plans to bring sweeping changes at the center last year, after an Atlanta developer backed out of its agreement to purchase the property and potentially bring big box retailers there.
The mostly vacant plaza houses an Orvis outlet, which is slated to close in the next month, and Salem Wellness and Fitness. Other shops and restaurants have moved from the center in the last year because of fears that it would be sold.
Richard Bishop, who is co-manager of West Salem Plaza, said there are no new plans for the center, though “we’re hoping to have something to report sometime,” he said.
Bishop’s not actively marketing the center for sale, but he said he’s willing to talk with interested buyers and developers.
Most retailers at the plaza have month-to-month leases, he said.
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